Pedicab controversy: color, karma vs. safety concerns

Thursday

Sep 6, 2012 at 4:11 PM

When proposed, pedicabs seemed like another piece of the Boardwalk's comeback falling into place.

Mark Lane, Footnote

The slow season is tough on the Boardwalk. And the slow season started the Tuesday after Labor Day. For most locals, this is a mellow trail-off from summer, but if you're in the tourism biz, the drop-off is stark. "Up until this week, it was worth it," said Cory Williams on Thursday. Williams, 20, is the engine, tour guide and driver for a Boardwalk pedicab. "I love this job and I'd hate to see it go." Pedicabs -- three-wheeled, pedal-powered cabs -- are the newest addition to the Boardwalk-Pier-Main Street area and a fine way to tour the neighborhood. You can take in the sights at a leisurely pace, at about the same speed as a horse-drawn carriage only without the bump and without drawing all that attention to yourself. In fact, they seem to blend into the passing sidewalk action. Though not everyone agrees about how well. When the pedicabs were proposed last May, they seemed like another piece of the Boardwalk's comeback falling into place. A new bit of urban color. Something for the tourists. An amenity for people who find the hike between the parking garage and Joe's Crab Shack too much in Florida high summer. The pedicabs went from neat idea to reality in a matter of weeks. Usually ideas for the area known as the "E-Zone" go from neat idea to reality in, well, never. It seemed they were on their way to becoming a signature Boardwalk sight. A bit of color associated with the place. Something tourists would photograph on their cellphones, which is how tourists show they're impressed. Then the complaints started. These were peak season complaints, not slow season complaints. That pedicab pedalers are a pedestrian danger on the crowded Boardwalk. There have been too many near collisions. "On any given night you might have 10,000 people on the Boardwalk," Police Chief Mike Chitwood told the City Commission Wednesday, talking about peak season numbers. "And so you have crowds on this beachfront sidewalk and little kids and people on Segways ... It's a mix for disaster," he said. Worse, he said, some of the pedicab drivers' behavior has not been up to Boardwalk standards. Two got into a brawl. One was arrested for retail theft. The chief talked about banning them. The mayor and City Commission Wednesday were more inclined to reign them in. The city manager — perhaps thinking about the possibility of franchise fees in a tough budget year — talked about turning the cabs into a city-granted franchise. But Williams, who drives for Redi Pedi, seems surprised at the controversy and says he's never seen an accident. And on a slow season's wide-open sidewalk the navigation is effortless. "I love this job. I don't have to clock in; I don't clock out. And it's beautiful out here," he said. Beautiful, but close to 90 degrees. He sweats the steep ramp up to the pier and points out the view. "I'll show them the good photo shots, give them some general history ... be a guide," he said. Sometimes, when things are slow, he says he'll give elderly people free rides between the handicapped spots and Joe's. "I believe in good karma. Good things come back to you." So maybe there will be enough good karma out there to overcome the police chief's misgivings. We'll know later this month.